Make Your Cupcakes Sparkle

Want to make a Fourth of July treat that sparkles? Try some simple cupcakes using a great tip I found in Woman's Day magazine. They will definitely stand out.




Start with your favorite cupcake (I did large and mini) that has been frosted. Next pour some jimmies, sprinkles or decorating sugar into shallow bowls. I opted for patriotic since the Fourth is coming up.



Next, dip the edge of the cupcake in your sprinkles, etc. rolling the edge to coat.



This is one with blue jimmies that turned out super cute. I thought these would work great for any occasion, but a little girl's princess party came to mind. They would be adorable rolled in purple and pink decorating sugar. Those would really sparkle. Give this little tip a try next time you bake cupcakes to give them that bakery touch.

Patriotic Star Sparkler Craft

I'm feeling very patriotic this week as we approach the Fourth of July holiday on Saturday. It just happens to be my husband's favorite holiday, so we try to celebrate all the way. This year we'll be in Louisville,KY visiting two of my sisters-in-law and their families for the fourth. We hope to take part in the city's celebration and catch their fireworks show.

This week I'll be sharing some fun patriotic crafts and treats with you. Today, I want to share a craft that I made last year. These tin stars for $1 each at Michael's got my crafty wheels turning. With a little scrap wood, a dowel, some hot glue and spray paint, I created these " Star Sparklers." It's a fairly simple craft that didn't cost very much either. I display these on our mantel with other festive decor like the pillow in the background. It creates a fun and patriotic display.

Come back and visit tomorrow for more fun, Fourth of July goodies!

Works For Me Wednesday- Frozen Banana Pops

It's Works For Me Wednesday time over at We Are That Family and I want to share a quick treat that works for me. (I guess I could have saved this for next week's themed edition of WFMW which is "Best Summer Recipes," but I'll go ahead and share) This treat takes bananas from drab to fab. It's frozen banana pops. They are pretty simple and taste like banana ice cream. Mmmmm!


I have my little helper in the kitchen to demonstrate. First, you'll need to peel and then cut the ends off the bananas. ** Next time I make them, I will cut the bananas in half to get two smaller pops out of one banana. The normal size banana was just to much to eat for the kids.**



After they are cut, insert a popsicle stick in the bottom of each banana leaving enough room to hold it. Place bananas on wax paper lined pan and freeze for at least one hour.




Next, remove your frozen bananas from the fridge and get ready to have fun! Yep, this is the fun part. You get to dip 'em in chocolate and coat them with all the good stuff!

I melted about 1 c. of chocolate chips with 1 tbsp. of oil in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Dip or spoon chocolate onto bananas and sprinkle on the goodies. We used sprinkles, chopped peanuts, toffee bits, and crushed chocolate goldfish. Put the bananas back in the freezer to firm up a bit.



Our fab frozen banana pops! Aren't they cute! I really liked the toffee bits but the chocolate goldfish was a favorite as well. Try these delicious treats for a cool summertime snack.

Cheesecake With Chef Laci

On Saturday, Laci went to her friend Althea's 6th birthday party, which was a cooking party. I thought that was a great idea! Wish I'd thought of it. She was so excited about getting to cook at the party. When I picked her up she showed me all of the goodies they had made. She had snack mix in a cute Chinese take out box, ice cream cone cookie treats and a piece of simple cheesecake. Can we say yum! She also had the c-utest party favors to take home. A chef's hat and personalized apron. How stinkin' cute is that. Knowing Althea's mom, I wouldn't expect anything less. She goes all out.




Oh, did I mention that her mom made the chef's hats and embroidered the apron's herself. I've been telling her she should start her own little business. I think she would do well.The kids(and moms) loved the favors.





Yesterday Laci and I decided to try one of the recipes from the birthday party that she brought home, Cheeky Cheesecake. (Weird name for it. I'm not sure what cookbook it's from.) She had to get all suited up in her new attire. I think she's the cutest little chef I've seen! She's rockin' the chef's hat!



Here she is folding in whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture. It got a bit messy, but it's worth it for some delish cheesecake.



The finished product, Cheeky Cheesecake. It might have a weird name, but it turned out great! It was a quick little cheesecake to make that was also light, fluffy and delicious. We all enjoyed it for our family night treat! Great job Laci!

Cheeky Cheesecake (adapted by Missy)
butter or margarine to grease pan
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. confectioner's sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. whipped topping

Lightly grease the inside of a square pan with a little butter or margarine. Microwave 1/4 c. butter for 30-60 seconds until melted. Stir in sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into square pan and press flat with your hands. Next, combine the confectioner's sugar and cream cheese together until smooth.Gently fold in the whipped topping . Pour mixture over crust and spread with spoon. Chill in fridge.

A New Kids Cookbook

Wow! I haven't posted anything in a while. I guess the summer and kids being out of school is just keeping me busy, busy, busy. I've missed blogging because I do enjoy it. I've also been a little behind on visiting a lot of my favorite fellow bloggers, but I'll visit ya soon!

Today I am back with a new fun find to share with you. The kids and I were in Costco the other day and I spotted this Southern Living Kids Cookbook. I flipped through it and spotted some recipes I thought we'd like to try, so I got it. I am a sucker for cookbooks. I'll add it to the collection.

We can't wait to try some of these recipes. Their are sections for snacks, bread, eggs and cheese, sweets, main course and more. We hope to share some of this book's recipes with you soon as well as some others we have tried recently, so come back this week for some fun and easy recipes!

Craft Challenge-Monograms

It's time for Heidi at Blue Eyed Blessings' Monthly Craft Challenge and this month the theme is monograms. Aren't they all the rage these days?! I'm seeing monograms on all kinds of things! I really like them myself and I can't wait to see what the other participants in this craft challenge have done. Be sure to check it out.

I didn't get any new things done with monograms, so I'm just going to link you to some older posts that feature past projects I've done. The first one is a vinyl/tile monogram. This is one of my favorites. The other one is a teacher gift I recently made containing monogrammed note cards and jumbo paperclip bookmark. Enjoy!

Thrifty Shopping

Don't you love a bargain? I sure do! That's why I make a point of visiting my local Faith Rescue Mission Thrift Store. It's always an adventure each time I go because they get new things in daily, so you just never know what you'll find. I wouldn't really say I'm a regular there, but I try to make it in a couple times a month. I've found great prices on shoes for our youngest daughter, cute little glass ice cream cups, books, etc. This time did not disappoint. I left with a Guess Who game in great condition for $1, a Scattergories game, which I've been wanting, for $.99, the Dr. Seuss book Hop On Pop for around $.30 and a pair of real Crocs for my son, not generic(which I don't mind either) for $2.95. So for $5 and some change I got everything in that picture. Yeah baby! That's what I'm talkin' about! Try your local thrift store or Goodwill and see what deals you find!

New Favorites

Okay, so I make no secret about it. I like to eat. However, since starting Weight Watchers last year I've had to make a few changes in what I eat. That being said, I have two new favorite snacks to share with you. They aren't necessarily the healthiest snacks, but are low in points.



First, Pirates Booty. Arrrr! It's very good!(say that in your best pirate voice) I've seen this before on one of the Food Network shows, but I never see it in stores down here in the south except at Costco once before. When we were in Costco last week I spotted it again and got it this time. I'm glad I did. Everyone in my family loves this stuff. It's not totally bad for you either. Everything in moderation, right. You can have 1 oz. for 3 pts.




My second new favorite is Diet A&W. Let me just say that I never, ne-ver drink diet sodas. I would rather just drink water. Can't stand the taste. However, one day I was at a friend's house and we were eating sub sandwiches and she brought me an ice cold Diet A&W and said that she couldn't even tell it was diet. So I gave it a try and she was right. I really like these now. I buy them in cans and keep a few in the fridge for when I have that soda craving, which is usually once a day. I will say they are best ice cold in the can rather than out of a bottle poured over ice. Don't know why, but I can taste that difference. Give these snacks a try and see what you think.

Our Visit To The Capitol Building

Last Saturday when my parents were down for a visit, we all decided to visit the capitol building in Montgomery which is only about 20 minutes from where we live. We have driven by it dozens of times, but I have never taken the time to actually walk around it. The lawns are nicely manicured, of course, and they have some interesting monuments around it, as well. Here, the kids are in front of this big bell. I never figured out what this bell is for. At first, I thought it was a recreation of the Liberty Bell, but it didn't have a crack in it. Not sure????




Laci is happy to pose for a picture in front of one of the monuments. I think it was a confederate army monument.

The magnolia trees around the grounds were very nice and had a few blooms on them.

Peanutty Delights For A Snack or A Simple Gift

I put together this simple, yet cute gift for a couple friends last week. Very simple. I filled a couple of these darling little metal buckets with a cello bag full of Peanutty Delights. I hope they like a good peanut butter ball as much as I do. Whip up some for a quick dessert or snack, or take some to a friend. We usually make a lot of these at Christmas time to give away since they are a quick and delicious little candy. My kids have always liked helping make these, as well. Get the recipe below.




Peanutty Delights
2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter and butter;blending well. Shape into 1 inch balls, chill. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler or in the microwave. Mix well. Dip balls in chocolate; let cool on wax paper or aluminum foil. Store in covered container in fridge. Makes about 2 dozen.